Drawdown of Phantom Units as Turkey Prepares for F-35

摘要

The TuErk Hava Kuvvetleri's (THK, Turkish Air Force) 112 Filo ceased flight operations with the McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom on June 12. The unit has been flying 18 F-4Es, partially upgraded under the Simsek (Lightning) programme and re-designated as F-4ETMs, for some time. They were due to remain active until the end of the decade, but apparently increasing operational and maintenance costs have dictated their early retirement.